Bottle carrier



Sept. 14, 1943. w, SEDGWICK BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 11, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 l I I l l l i l 1 I l I I 1 l I l 1943. w. SEDGWICKBOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 11 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CARRIERWilliam Sedgwick, Des Moines, Iowa Application December 11, 1940, SerialNo. 369,645 3 Claims. (01. 224-48) This invention relates to a bottlecarrier which may contain a number of bottles and has a handle forconvenience in carrying the container.

One object of the invention is to. provide a bottle carrier which may beinexpensively fabricated from light sheet metal or the like and isadaptable for carrying bottles and also for stacking them in a bottlecooler either of the dry type or one containing chilled water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bottle carrierconsisting of two parts,-a, onepiece bottle container and a handletherefor; the handle being detached from the container for shippingpurposes and being readily and easily applicable to the container forassembly at the point of use, such assembly involving merely the placingof the handle in position with respect to the container and the bendingover of lugs which project through slots of the handle to therebypermanently secure thehandle .to the container.

Still another object is to so associate the handle with the bo'ttlecontainer that the handle may be slid downwardly to an inconspicuousposition between two rows of bottles in the container, in which positionthe handle permits stacking of containers of bottles relative to eachother for display or in the cooler, the handle being also movable up toa position where it may be grasped by the hand when it is desirable totransport the bottle carrier from one point to another and forconvenience in removing the carrier from the cooler.

A further object is to provide certain embossings on the bottlecontainer which prevent contact of the sides of the containers with eachother when they are stacked side by side, thus preventing any rubbing ofthe finish or marring of an ad or label on the side of the container,such embossing at the same time so strengthening the container that itmay be formed of very light sheet metal or the like and still besufficiently rugged for ordinary service.

Further objects are to provide coacting flanges and overlapped parts ofa single piece bottom and wall member which forms the container, so thatonly two rivets are necessary to hold the strucners to substantially fitthe contour of the bottles in the corners of the container and toprevent the corners from catching on clothing worn by the person usingthe carrier.

With these and other objects in view, my invention with respect to itsfeatures which I believe to be novel and patentable will be pointed outin the claims appended hereto. For a better detailed understanding ofthe invention, and further objects relating to details of economy of myinvention, reference is made to the following description and to theaccompanying drawings wherein such further objects will definitelyappear, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle carrierembodying my invention and showing the handle in raised position;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the bottle carrier, this figure being shownon an enlarged scale with respect to Figure'l;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2 showingthe handle in raised position, and by dotted. lines showing it inlowered position, and, a second carrier with bottles supported on thebottles in the carrier shown by solidlines;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, and

, Figure 6 is a plan view of a blank from which the container of mybottle carrier is formed.

On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference character C toindicate a bottle container and H a handle therefor. The container 0 isformed of a single piece of sheet metal or the like, the initial shapeof which is illustrated in Figure 6. This piece of sheet metal includesin general a bottom member In and a pair of wall members l2. The membersl0 and I2 are integral with each other, being joined by parting lines l3which form between them a reinforcing bead H, the cross sectional shapeof which is best shown in Figure 3.

It will be noted that the wall members I! are bent upwardly atsubstantially right angles to the plane of the bottom member I0 and thatthe marginal ends of the wall members, indicated at IS in Figure 6, arecurved to follow the contours 16 of the bottom member [0. The marginalends l5 accordingly constitute corner and end walls,

for the container C, the end walls being referred to by the referencecharacters I'I.

The marginal ends l5 of the walls I2 are confined in flanges is bentupwardly from the round corners i3 01' the bottom member ID and.somewhat wider flanges l3 bent upwardly from the ends 01 the bottommember III. The marginal To provide for drainage oi. water from thecarrier when the carrier is media connection with a water filled orflooded cooler Ijprovide drain openings 34 in the bottom member-ill. Mybottle carrier has a number of advantages from a manufacturingstandpoint. Many ofthese have atready been mentioned. In additiomit maybe metal and the two rivets hold the container in The upper edges of thewall members i2 are reinforced by rolled beads 24 which, in conjunctionwith the embossings at l4, serve to prevent contact between the sidewalls and end walls of adjacent containers C when stacked closetogether. Thus the finish on the walls is not damaged and anyadvertising material or labels thereon are not scraped against eachother.

The handle H is inverted U shape, having a cross-piece 25 and arms 26.The cross-piece and the arms are joined by slanting portions 21. Theportions 25 and 21 are channel shaped or concave-convex in cross sectionto secure strength with the use of relatively light strap metal or thelike and to provide a cross-piece which is confortable in the hand ofthe user.

The arms 26 are provided with longitudinal slots 28 formed inlongitudinally extending reinforcing beads 29. For coaction with thebeads and slots, I provide intumed terminal flanges 30 on the wallmembers l2 which are arranged closely adjacent each other when thecontainer is formed up. The flanges 30 terminate in lugs 3|.

When it is desirable to assemble the handle H relative to the containerC, the width of the handle is contracted and the handle placed insidethe container and then allowed to assume its original shape with theflanges 30 entering the beads 29 of the arms 26 and the lugs 3| enteringthe slots 28 thereof. The lugs will then be in the dotted positionillustrated as 3 la in Figures 4 and 5. Thereafter the lugs may be bentover, as shown by solid lines in Figure 5 and as illustrated in Figure1, without the necessity of using a tool for this purpose. The handle His now permanently attached to the container so that the carrier isfully assembled.

It will be noted that the slots 28 are of greater length than theextreme upper and lower edges of the lugs 3| so that the handle haslimited vertical sliding movement. The handle may accordingly be pulledup to the solid line position of Figure 3 when it is desirable to useit, or may be pushed down to an inconspicuous and out-ofthe-wayposition, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 3, when its use is notnecessary. In the dotted position the handle permits ready stacking ofthe carriers when filled with bottles, in an obvious manner.

To facilitate such stacking of the containers of bottles, the bottommember Ill has an upwardly depressed embossment 32 for each bottle, the

. embossments being adapted to rest on the caps 33 of bottles B,illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 3. This prevents the carriers fromshifting relative to each other when in stacked position,

either in the cooler or when the merchandise is on display.

mentioned that the overlapping flanges l8 and [9, together with therivets at 2|, cause the container C to hold its shape while shippingwhen the handle H is removed. The container is ready to have the handleattached thereto in a minimum of time and in a very simple manner, sothat the lugs 3|, after they are bent over, serve to keep the upperparts of the container rigidly assembled in relation to each other. Atthe same time the handle is held so that it may be slid to either alowered or raised positionv as desired. When lowered it becomesinconspicuous and lends to the display or the merchandise as it does notdetract from the appearance of the bottles, as would be the case if itprojected up abovethe tops of the bottles. At the same time the handlewhen lowered permits ready stacking of a number of containers havingbottles therein. one on another, either for display or for conservation'of space within the cooler. v

Although I have shown the bottle carrier designed for six bottles, it isobvious that it may be readily changed in size to accommodate eight ormore bottles or less than six bottles if desired, without departing fromthe essential features of the invention. A modification of the acharacter just mentioned may be made, although I have described but onespecific embodiment of my invention. I have also described the operationthereof and I desire it to be understood that this form is selectedmerely for the purpose of facilitating disclosure of the inventionrather than for the purpose of limiting the number of forms which it mayassume. It is to be further understood that various modifications,adaptations and alterations may be applied to the specific formsdisclosed to meet the requirements of practice without in any mannerdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention except asset forth in the claims appended hereto.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States:

1. A bottle carrier comprising a bottle container formed of a singlepiece of sheet metal or the like, including a bottom member and a pairof wall members, said bottom member being rectangular shaped with roundcorners, said wall members being bent upwardly from the sides of saidbottom member to form side walls for the container and having marginalends bent to the contour of said round comers of said bottom member andto i'orma pair or end wall members for each end of the container, theterminal ends of said end walls having intumed lugs arranged adjacenteach other, a U-shaped handle having its arms slotted to receive saidlugs. said lugs being bent over to retain said handle in position v andto retain said pairs of end wall members from spreading, the slot insaid handle being longer than the outermost limits oi. said lugs of saidterminal ends of said wall members to permit limited vertical slidingmovement of said handle.

2. In a bottle carrier including a container comprising a single pieceof sheet material with a bottom portion and a pair of wall portions bentupwardly from the sides of the bottom portion to form side walls andhaving marginal ends bent to form end walls for said container, theimprovement consisting of inturned flanges on the terminal ends oi! saidwall portions, terminating in lugs, and a U-shaped handle having amedian slot formed longitudinally in each arm,

3. In a bottle carrier including a container comprising a single pieceof sheet material with receiving a plurality of said lugs, said lugsbeing a bent over to retain said handle, and to hold opposite end wallportions together by their common engagement in the slot, said armsbeing outwardly convex in cross section to receive said flanges, and theslots being longer than the outermost limits of said lugs, permittinglimited sliding movement of the handle.

a bottom portion and a pair oi. wall portions bent,

in the slot.

WIILIAM SEDGWICK.

